16th Economics of Infrastructures Conference

It is our pleasure to announce the 16th International Conference on Economics of Infrastructures which will take place on 24 May 2013 at the Delft University of Technology, the Netherlands:

Social responsible innovations in infrastructures

Infrastructures are in an unprecedented process of technical and institutional innovation. Increasingly these innovations are confronted with issues of social acceptance. In the energy sector for instance, the exploitation of shale gas raises considerable social resistance because of the possible negative implications for personal health and environment. The large scale introduction of wind power is also heavily discussed between proponents and opponents. The use of many internet related services increasingly raises concerns about privacy or possible exposure to cyber crime. Constructing new high speed rail connections or expanding highways is certainly not an engineering issue alone. Innovations in infrastructures are not always related solely to the needs and perceptions of the stakeholders or citizens that are confronted with the physical changes of the natural environment, or the economic or technical consequences. Often these needs and perceptions are even contradictory or conflicting. Stimulating social acceptance is more than just convincing citizens or stakeholders for the need of innovations. To what degree is it possible to shape innovations according to the norms and values of stakeholders? For instance, if the protection of privacy is an important issue for the introduction of smart meters in the electricity sector, what technological designs would satisfy these needs? If new high voltage transmission lines need to be build in order to transport clean wind power from the North Sea to the hinterland, what kind of regulations or procedures could help to involve citizens to find out the most preferable and acceptable route? In other words, is it possible to develop a social sensitive design of innovations in infrastructures? In this conference we will discuss how societal norms and values can be systematically embedded in the technical and institutional design of innovations in infrastructures.